You probably need to say no more often.

No to yourself.

No to others.

Build that muscle.

You can’t be agreeable all the time.

You shouldn’t be.

It weakens you.

No is a muscle.

No buys you back time.

No gives you space.

In chess, grandmaster Jeremy Silman talks about how to respond to threats.

Ignore them, and create a larger threat of your own.

That’s what “no” looks like in practice.

No builds your self-trust.

No is the gate that keeps out the bullshit.

And when you keep out the bullshit, you can focus on what you are most proud of.

Say no to yourself when you are given the option to do something that is NOT in alignment with your highest values.

You do that long enough, you’ll build a muscle that allows you to lead.

Leadership is saying no to more than it is saying yes to things.

And saying no, really means that you are saying yes to something else. Something greater.

In fact, that is the veto power that you and I possess that we rarely act on.

No is a power that you have to set boundaries.

No is THE power that you have to reject thoughts, of yourself and others that disempower you.

“I reject your reality and substitute my own.” - The Dungeonmaster, 1984